Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades

The Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades is a loosely-organized al-Qaeda affiliate that has claimed responsibility for attacks such as the 2003 Istanbul bombings, the 2004 Madrid train bombings, and the 7/7 attacks in London, England on 7 July 2005. The group claimed the attacks by sending letters to news outlets, but most of its claims have been proven false, the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front (IBDA-C) carried out the 2003 Istanbul bombings, the 2003 bombing of a Jakarta hotel was a Jemaah Islamiyah attack, and the 2003 London and United States Northeast blackouts were caused by technical failures, not terrorism. The 2004 Madrid train bombings may have been carried out by the group, however, as al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for them, and it has been proven that they were carried out by Islamists. The group's name comes from al-Qaeda's former military chief Mohammed Atef.